A growing amount of companies in the high-tech region of Eindhoven are using their employees as volunteers to help civil society organisations move forward.
This is according to figures from Samen voor Eindhoven, an organisation that brings companies and civil society organisations together.
The projects that were supported by Samen voor Eindhoven ultimately resulted in 2000 volunteers. These are employees who roll up their sleeves for a good cause for a day, or use their expertise for, among other things, poverty organisations or care institutions.
In the space of two years, the number of volunteers that participated increased by seventy percent. “Volunteers from the business world play an essential role. For example, with a business coach who shares his or her knowledge and network with an organisation that is committed to helping people with debts, with communication advice for the homeless foundation, so that this organisation can better market the products that they have made. Or with teams from companies that do a job or do something extra for lonely elderly people,” says Esther Hofstede, director of Samen voor Eindhoven.
The mediation between the regional business community and civil society organisations often takes place through joint dinners, where the two parties look at what they can do for each other.
Source: Studio040
Translator: Dirk
